OK the euphoria is over. Now I worry about ...

[HuskylnSC]

the bench. We desperately need two to step up. Mikayla has promise. I really like Kyla and Molly seems like one of the greatest kids. Lexi has great billing coming out of high school. But the thought of 6 primary players is a bit unnerving.

 

[UConn82]

I think we have to get used to having primarily 6 when the big games come.

Geno, of course, will play everyone against the cupcakes in conference.

But against Baylor? Or deep in the tournament. Probably not, as I (and others) have posted before.

But, we shall see.

 

[Plebe]

Sorry, but I plan to continue my euphoria for at least a few more days...

 

[Blueballer]

the bench. We desperately need two to step up. Mikayla has promise. I really like Kyla and Molly seems like one of the greatest kids. Lexi has great billing coming out of high school. But the thought of 6 primary players is a bit unnerving.

You do realize that ND used 6 primary players as well?

 

[Centerstream]

Glad I didn't miss another "bench" thread between game days.

 

[HuskylnSC]

You do realize that ND used 6 primary players as well?

You do realize, I don't care about ND.

 

[uconnever]

We need Mikayla, because ONO, and Irwin can handle the back up big work. I think Mikayla can help us, I like her game. She just needs to calm down and also practice her shot. She could be valuable kinda like Kalana wasn't the best shooter but she drove the ball well and was great defensively. I can see that role for Mikayla as well as handling the ball.

 

[oldude]

We need Mikayla, because ONO, and Irwin can handle the back up big work. I think Mikayla can help us, I like her game. She just needs to calm down and also practice her shot. She could be valuable kinda like Kalana wasn't the best shooter but she drove the ball well and was great defensively. I can see that role for Mikayla as well as handling the ball.

Watching Mikayla last night, she is exceptionally quick, has a great handle and could be UConn’s best defender. I think Geno will use her as much as he can with the understanding that she’s just not going to get many points for you.

 

[Bama fan]

Glad I didn't miss another "bench" thread between game days.

You will not "miss'' any thread here. They are preserved for your/our edification. I am not sure whether or not there is a function that allows for sorting by posts that bemoan the bench strength, but you can get lucky!

 

[veryolddog]

Last night, it seemed like the team walked to victory. It looked like a team that just went flat after a tremendous jolt of adrenaline to defeat ND. Good thing that they played ST Louis. Even Geno looked like he was resting and just evaluating.

Baylor and Louisville will also be good tests. OK and Cal will be good games as well. Then, they cruise through the AAC.

 

[eebmg]

Last night, it seemed like the team walked to victory. It looked like a team that just went flat after a tremendous jolt of adrenaline to defeat ND. Good thing that they played ST Louis. Even Geno looked like he was resting and just evaluating.

Baylor and Louisville will also be good tests. OK and Cal will be good games as well. Then, they cruise through the AAC.

I agree they looked flat in the first half. Efficient but flat. In the second half, there was a definite uptake in energy and some much nicer plays.

 

[meyers7]

the bench. We desperately need two to step up. Mikayla has promise. I really like Kyla and Molly seems like one of the greatest kids. Lexi has great billing coming out of high school. But the thought of 6 primary players is a bit unnerving.

 

[uconnever]

Watching Mikayla last night, she is exceptionally quick, has a great handle and could be UConn’s best defender. I think Geno will use her as much as he can with the understanding that she’s just not going to get many points for you.

Agreed, but teams can just not pay much attention to her on offense which makes her a liability at this point. She also drives the ball very well and then misses layups which she has to fix. A lot of her problems for me, would go away with more time on the floor.

 

[bbballfan23]

Not the bench thing again . Our bench is contributing more than last year so far. Z was better than anyone we have this year but i personally think she hurt the flow of our team when she entered most of the time (she helped a lot against ND). We’ve seen contributions at different times from ONO, Kyla & Coombs. I like our bench, personally.

 

[BroadwayVa]

the bench. We desperately need two to step up. Mikayla has promise. I really like Kyla and Molly seems like one of the greatest kids. Lexi has great billing coming out of high school. But the thought of 6 primary players is a bit unnerving.

Nothing to disagree with here! That's frustrating! Geno, Uconn, needs more from the bench.
Until Mikayla learns to slow down she'll never meet Geno's desires or needs. Geno has said she lacks confidence, maybe. In nearly all she does on the floor looks good and then she makes a pass in the wrong place, wrong time, usually too quickly. She is a talented Scorer or NOT; she drives to the basket and either make a play an 8th grader wouldn't make (passing into a pack or across it) when she had a great shot, or driving and not concentrating on the basket and the shot goes wild.
In my extreme limited coaching experiences, I taught my players to focus ONLY on the basket when shooting, pick a spot on the rim and stay there until the ball hits the basket.
That's what Mikyala needs FOCUS. CW doesn't need that focus: she knows where the ball is going every time it leaves her hand that's built into her.
Molly against St Louis played her best game in a Uconn Uniform. That is what all of us expected her to be when she arrived. She needs to do that again and often.

 

[DefenseBB]

Watching Mikayla last night, she is exceptionally quick, has a great handle and could be UConn’s best defender. I think Geno will use her as much as he can with the understanding that she’s just not going to get many points for you.

I specifically watch Mikayla on ISO to see how good a defender she really is as it has been mentioned many times on this forum. I thought she was ok but it was against St.Louis. Even then the bar of "best UConn defender" is not a high one at the moment. My guess is that would be either Crystal Dangerfield or, dare I say it KLS??? Pheesa still fouls too much, CW is a work in progress, MW is in contention and Liv also fouls too much. Not enough evidence for any of the others. Thoughts?

 

[bbballfan23]

I specifically watch Mikayla on ISO to see how good a defender she really is as it has been mentioned many times on this forum. I thought she was ok but it was against St.Louis. Even then the bar of "best UConn defender" is not a high one at the moment. My guess is that would be either Crystal Dangerfield or, dare I say it KLS??? Pheesa still fouls too much, CW is a work in progress, MW is in contention and Liv also fouls too much. Not enough evidence for any of the others. Thoughts?

It’s definitely Crystal Dangerfield but she is limited with her height. KLS not our best defender by a long shot, GREAT all-around offensively player but she is constantly scored on off the bounce. Positionally, she does a good job, as does our entire team (most of the time) but our best defender, she is not. That’s like stating Pheesa is our best shooter. Doesn’t mean she isn’t a great player but that’s not what makes her who she is.

 

[oldude]

I specifically watch Mikayla on ISO to see how good a defender she really is as it has been mentioned many times on this forum. I thought she was ok but it was against St.Louis. Even then the bar of "best UConn defender" is not a high one at the moment. My guess is that would be either Crystal Dangerfield or, dare I say it KLS??? Pheesa still fouls too much, CW is a work in progress, MW is in contention and Liv also fouls too much. Not enough evidence for any of the others. Thoughts?

Clearly there is no Gabby or Kia on this team as of yet. I do agree with you on Lou as a defender. I make the case for Mikayla based on her exceptional quickness, excellent footwork and positioning, and her theif like ability to pounce on wayward passes. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her get a few minutes matched up with Asia Durr when UConn travels to Louisville.

 

[DefenseBB]

Clearly there is no Gabby or Kia on this team as of yet. I do agree with you on Lou as a defender. I make the case for Mikayla based on her exceptional quickness, excellent footwork and positioning, and her theif like ability to pounce on wayward passes. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her get a few minutes matched up with Asia Durr when UConn travels to Louisville.

You're crazy...ask and you shall receive...

 

[HopJim]

It’s definitely Crystal Dangerfield but she is limited with her height. KLS not our best defender by a long shot, GREAT all-around offensively player but she is constantly scored on off the bounce. Positionally, she does a good job, as does our entire team (most of the time) but our best defender, she is not. That’s like stating Pheesa is our best shooter. Doesn’t mean she isn’t a great player but that’s not what makes her who she is.

Unfortunately, this year's team does not have a great defender. Throughout the year, even the 2nd level teams have been able to drive to basket, sometimes at will. Pheesa is likely the best we have due to her shot blocking but unfortunately has to guard bigger players every game so likely gets more foul calls on her. Huskies will win this year based on team defense, perhaps with some Geno schemes (i.e. 2-2-1 zone) as needed.

 

[Ozimoto]

We have almost as many posts about our bench as Vol Nation has about firing Holly...

 

[Longtime fan]

Watching Mikayla last night, she is exceptionally quick, has a great handle and could be UConn’s best defender. I think Geno will use her as much as he can with the understanding that she’s just not going to get many points for you.

Mikayla is quick and can become a terrific back-up guard. However; "practicing her shot" more ( as suggested by someone above ) will do little good. I'm sure she is already taking 200 shots per practice...or more. It is mind-boggling how she had such a fine HS record, as her shot from distance does not allow proper "lining up" of hands, eyes and ball. And when she is forced to take it ( as yesterday happened ),
and " clanks it," that failure unnerves her, and she tries to make up for it. Yesterday, her " make up" move was a bit of an outrageous drive to the hoop ( that wasn't open ), another missed shot, and a turnover. She needs a miracle that will change her entire approach to outside shooting. And with no miracle in site, she has to be content with superior ball-handling, distribution, passing, defense and fast breaks/drives to the hoop. All of these skills need work and experience, but she can get there. And she can help a great deal, even if this is the limit of what she brings to the team. Not everyone can do everything. I hope to be proven wrong, but that shot is simply too ill-structured to succeed with any consistency.

 

[Carnac]

the bench. We desperately need two to step up. Mikayla has promise. I really like Kyla and Molly seems like one of the greatest kids. Lexi has great billing coming out of high school. But the thought of 6 primary players is a bit unnerving.

The Saint Louis game was hard to watch at times. They were so far away from being a competent opponent for UConn, it was like night and day. Starters got absolutely nothing from that game. It was (as I suggested before hand) more of an "exhibition" game for Napheesa. I commented in a post before the game that the Billikens where no match for UConn, and that it would get ugly real quick, it did.

The thing that did peak my interest was the "extended" play that reserves got. The timing of which could not have been better as the starters played most of the ND game, and didn't need to be out there once an insurmountable lead had been established.

There will be games the reserves will get little or no playing time (Baylor, Louisville), and games like yesterday they will against some of the weaker teams in the AAC (Memphis 2-6 & Temple 2-5).

We know ONO is going to get lots of playing time. Congratulations to her by the way for posting her first double-double yesterday. She had 12/10 in 24 minutes.

The team will have 10 days off for finals after the Seton Hall game this Saturday. Then two road games with Oklahoma (19th) and Cal (22nd), then off for 11 days for the Christmas break. They return with road games @ Baylor and @ Houston beginning Jan 3.

 

[5sidedlarry]

You do realize that ND used 6 primary players as well?

The Saint Louis game was hard to watch at times. They were so far away from being a competent opponent for UConn, it was like night and day. Starters got absolutely nothing from that game. It was (as I suggested before hand) more of an "exhibition" game for Napheesa. I commented in a post before the game that the Billikens where no match for UConn, and that it would get ugly real quick, it did.

The thing that did peak my interest was the "extended" play that reserves got. The timing of which could not have been better as the starters played most of the ND game, and didn't need to be out there once an insurmountable lead had been established.

There will be games the reserves will get little or no playing time (Baylor, Louisville), and games like yesterday they will against some of the weaker teams in the AAC (Memphis 2-6 & Temple 2-5). We know ONO is going to get lots of playing time. Congratulations to her by the way for posting her first double-double yesterday. She had 12/10 in 24 minutes.

The team will have 10 days off for finals after the Seton Hall game this Saturday. Then two road games with Oklahoma (19th) and Cal (22nd), then off for 11 days for the Christmas break. They return with road games @ Baylor and @ Houston beginning Jan 3. That reminds me, I've got to go to the store and get some egg nog.

Iam knew to boneyard but not to basketball i have been following it for years.If there was a way for me to apologize to Geno i would ,he has good ball players but not good enough for the no1 team,what i saw from our ball players was far more than basketball they believed in themselves and Geno did that he knows how to handle ball players and along with a lot of other people i thought they would get beat by at least 10 or more.Iam glad to see the recruits playing more.If there was a way i would pass this on to Geno

 

[Bama fan]

You're crazy...ask and you shall receive...[/QUOTE/]
Oh the love comes tricklin' down!